Destination Wednesday – Old New-Gate Prison East Granby CT

Destination Wednesday will take you over to the Old New-Gate Prison located at 115 Newgate Road East Granby CT.

The Old New-Gate Prison’s history dates back to the 1700’s when it first opened as a copper mine. In 1773 it was turned into a state run prison and during the Revolutionary War it housed Tories and loyalists, during the Civil War confederate prisoners were also held behind those 12′ thick prison yard walls.

The cold dark tunnels were turned into a working environment for those sentenced to Old New-Gate as an alternative to the whipping post. This old prison held as many as 124 prisoners in 1824, approximately 40 prisoners were held in the tunnels and above ground housing was built for the rest.

Over the years there were many successful and unsuccessful attempts to escape but Richard Steele held the record for three successful escapes from New-Gate. Now only if those walls could speak you can just imagine the stories they would tell. The Old New-Gate Prison was considered inhumane and extremely costly to the state, eventually the prison closed in 1827 and another unsuccessful attempt to work the mine took place.

Be sure to check the events schedule when planning your visit and you will surely get a sense of life around New Gate by listening to the historians or attending one of the special events.

There are plenty of great roads around Old New-Gate but check out Rte 20 from Granby to Winsted, the last time I was on rte 20 the road needed some work but both the scenery and views were very nice.

http://www.twowheelne.com/newgate/  Photos from TWNE

Old New-Gate Prison

Enjoy the ride

Road Food Friday – Paul’s Pasta Groton CT

Road Food Friday takes you to a CT Gem called Paul’s Pasta Shop, a recipient of many readers choice awards in CT Magazine. Paul’s has some of the best pasta I have ever had, the pasta is made fresh on site and also sold “ready to cook” if interested in sharing with the rest of the family.A casual, friendly, family type atmosphere gives you the feeling you’re touring in Europe. There is plenty of indoor seating and a nice deck to enjoy a summer afternoon with friends. You’ll never run out of food here since the serving sizes are plentiful and the lobster ravioli is loaded with fresh lobster which is more than filling ( the larger size you will be taking home a box).

Located not far from the coast and situated along the river in Groton makes a perfect spot for those touring route 1 and the CT & RI coastline. The beautiful Rhode Island beaches are all within a quick ride as well as Mystic Seaport and the Groton Sub Museum.

Be sure to check out Paul’s Pasta as it has become a TWNE favorite.

www.paulspastashop.com

Destination Wednesday – Larz Anderson Auto Museum

Although I wouldn’t say this destination Wednesday is in prime riding country with it being in such close proximity to Boston. However, several roads can provide an easy and safe route in and out.

The Larz Anderson Auto Museum is located in Brookline Massachusetts and home to one of America’s oldest car collections. There are many special events that take place during the summer months including many motorcycle related shows & clubs that take over the lawn. This destination is an easy stop for riders heading towards Maine, New Hampshire or even Nova Scotia.

Enjoy the gorgeous grounds and the fascinating history of the automobile.

http://www.larzanderson.org

Miles – Food – Friends & Fun Whitehorse Press open house

What kind of riders would wake up as the sun is rising, slab it out for 4 hours mile after mile all for a free burger and the chance to mingle with some riders and receive a store discount? Some might say the insane; for me I say probably the kind of rider I’d enjoy spending the day with. I have been wanting to make a pilgrimage to Whitehorse Press in East Conway, New Hampshire ever since reading a few posts on some other riding forums last year. The chance to attend the open house, combine that with some of the best riding in New England, a free pass from the wife and some willing friends, I made it in 09.

Now there is nothing special about the slab ride through Rhode Island and Massachusetts but once you clear Concord, NH on Rte 93 this section of slab takes riding the highway to a whole new level. The surface on Rte 93 is fairly smooth, wide open to some incredible views of the White Mountains and at times you could have the highway all to yourself even at mid morning.

Now you can’t make it to northern New Hampshire without riding the Kanc; The Kancamagus Highway also known as the “Kanc” or Rte 112 is probably the best motorcycle road in the state. This road has it all with gentle sweepers, twisty turns which climb upward toward the sky and then drop you back down in the valley wanting more than just the 32 miles of motorcycle ecstasy you’ve just taken in. It just so happens this day was not the best ride I have had on the Kanc since they were having a bicycle race and even though I am all for sharing the road with non motorized cyclists, it seems some of them didn’t receive that memo to share the road. Yes there were plenty of signs warning me of the race and I even enjoyed watching them go by but riding 5 across not only made my pass of the kanc boring but sometimes on the corners even dangerous. The hords of bicycle groupies and officials had taken over my favorite overlooks so I had to pass for a much more tree covered vista. Actually I still had a nice ride but heck I sure would have loved to be alone crusing the Kanc, just me, the road and the rumble of my VTX.

As always when we have riding plans we’ll always mix in other options so we stopped at the Conway HD dealer for our Tour Card Stamp (see other post). A few riders I’ve followed on Twitter were going to be at Whitehorse Press so I hoped to run into them. Unfortunatley because of our flower sniffing I missed out on meeting @Corry01 but did get a chance to say hello to @JoeRocket. Automatically drawn to the food line, that’s where we started, how funny is it to ride 4 hours and find a table with 3 seats and the other folks already at the table happen to be from Rhode Island. Now with Rhode Island being so small we had to check the family tree to see if we were all related (joking); we had good conversation with these riders and after everyone was done eating we parted with the usual ride safe, keep the shiny side up and enjoy the ride.

Gear, gear and more gear, I have never seen so much motorcycle gear in one place and for a moment I was transformed back to the blonde hair, blue eyed 8 year old who had just walked into the biggest toy store ever. Now I mean if you ever need anything and I mean anything they have it, I don’t think there is much that they don’t carry or can’t get in short time. Very friendly staff, huge selection of merchandise so what more could you want? To wrap it up I’d say they had a very successful open house and I truly appreciated the chance to attend.

Now if you know us we just couldn’t head straight back so we pointed our fenders to another Harley Davidson dealership for a Tour Card Stamp; we had a few laughs at their sign advertising the rental rate being the same cost as todays high temp. Of course being so close to yet one more dealership we made our way over to Concord HD which was already closed when we arrived but they did open up the doors to stamp our cards.. Cudos to Concord HD

Now you’re think when are these guys going home right? Well Ted is also participating in the New England Riders OSJ Rally and he needs a picture in front of a statue of General John Stark which is located in Dumbarton, NH. A quick blast a few exits down on the highway and we are back making our way through the typical New England landscape. Picturesque colonial towns, roadside barns and off the beaten path riding that makes riding in New England unique. Ted wasn’t quite sure exactly where the statue was located so I pulled out the crackberry and after a google search we were on the town common snapping pictures and as always having a few laughs as I lay on my belly for the perfect shot of the General.

The skies were starting to darken and the threat of rain looked like a reality so we wrapped it up for more backroad riding and then we’re back on the slab making our way home. Typical Massachusetts highway riding, most of the time we’re avoiding cell phone drivers and those who feel like blasting up the on ramps to cut across several lanes without a care in the world. Our friend Jim jumped off at the exit close to his house in Massachuetts and Ted and I continued on to Rhode Island. Thankfully for us the rain started just as we approached the Rhode Island border where Ted and I waved as we parted till we ride again. 460 miles door to door

Kancamagus Scenic Byway

Whitehorse Press

New England HD Tour Card

Rood Food Friday – Hope Diner in Bristol, Rhode Island

Rood Food Friday – Hope Diner in Bristol, Rhode Island

Once you pull into the parking lot of this long time eatery you’ll know you are in for a treat. Don’t expect a quiet casual place, just as soon as you step through the front door you’ll feel like part of the family. This local family owned diner is a known hot spot and has received lots of recognition including a place on the PBS show Portrait of New England.

During the hurricane of 1938 this lunch car sustained considerable damage from wind, rain and yes automobiles which were floating away from a nearby auto dealership. After rebuilding, the outside of this early 1930’s Worcester lunch car is well hidden but it’s history and uniqueness comes alive as soon as you step inside.

Expect lots of energy along with good food and you will not be disappointed with Hope.

6am – 1pm Tuesday – Sunday

Hope Diner 742 Hope Street Bristol, Rhode Island

The New Look

For all our followers you can see we have a new look – Our original content will be back up and running within the next few days so all of our pictures and touring information will be back don’t worry about that.

Why the change – Since the start of Two Wheel New England many riders have expressed interest in actual ride experiences and not just a page of links. The blog format allows us to blog and archive interesting destinations, great eateries, motorcycle friendly lodging  and actual motorcycle journeys through the words and pictures of  TWNE riders.

Making it easier – This format is easier for me to keep up with, I would rather spend my time riding and sharing that information.

How the internet and social networking changed your ride?

I find myself spending just as much time researching roads, destinations and general motorcycle information as I do riding. When I got my first street bike it was just another means of transportation and my dirt bike was for fun and riding. Then when I got back into the saddle after my kids were a bit older the first thing I did was research my new purchase which was followed by signing up “online” for a motorcycle safety course. Now ever since that day I’ve used the internet and social networking to learn and meet other riders with the same interest. The days of finding new roads by meeting a local are few and far between, now all you have to do is log on a motorcycle blog or web site and have more ride ideas than you could ever ride in a New England season.

It’s about instant information at your finger tips including repair and maintenance advice. The perfect example is last year while touring down south I had a problem with my bike. The engine became sluggish and almost gave the feeling of a bad tank of gas. I rode it out for about 200 miles hoping the problem would clear I then decided to take a better look when I stopped for the night. I made a quick call to the Honda dealer which was of no help and they mentioned he couldn’t even look at my bike for days. I ended up logging on to the VTX owners group and within 10 minutes I had messages back via the hotel computer regarding things to check. I ended up getting a message to check an electrical connection that is known to cause problems and sure enough within 30 minutes my bike was running like new. This could have never happened without the help and support of internet riders, and just that one day saved me a ton of time and money.

The internet has added to the enjoyment I get from riding, has increased my interest in destinations and surely my interest in good road food. I think the internet is a valuable resource for riders not to mention a good cure for PMS (parked motorcycle syndrome) and winter blues.

Enjoy the ride ~ & Ride safe ~

RFF – Road Food Friday – Stoggy Hollow General Store

This weeks road food Friday is Stoggy Hollow General Store 492 Rte 198 in Woodstock Valley CT. This hidden gem that is tucked away with some excellent riding in the quiet corner of Connecticut. Click Here For Map

A hearty breakfast, enjoyable lunch or dinner on the way home from some great riding this is the place to take a break, relax and enjoy. Sitting on the steps lets your mind run back to 1836 when this old wooden building was built, you can almost feel this being the epicenter of commerce for this rural community.

I hope you enjoy Stoggy Hollow General Store just as much I did!

Ride Safe

DW – Destination Wednesday Nubble Light & Saltwater Taffy

This weeks destination Wednesday takes you out to the Nubble Light on Cape Neddick in York Maine. The Nubble Light towering 41 feet over a rocky island nicked named “Nubble” and also called savage rock by explorer Bartholomew Gosnold after meeting native Americans on this rocky island. The usual way of getting to the lighthouse was by boat but for a time keepers used a bucket suspended on a line to transport supplies. This spot is a great destination for a relaxing break by the water and a picturesque backdrop for those wishing to snap pictures of their ride.

You definitely won’t be alone here as the Nubble has a long history of being a local destination, in 1930 the keeper recorded over 1,000 visitors from 11 nations and 32 states, however you will find a calming sense of tranquility perched along the rocky shore and is a must see when touring the New England coast. http://www.lighthouse.cc/capeneddick/

Now for those with a sweet tooth and an interest in candy history take a short ride over to York Beach for some Goldenrod Salt Water Taffy. This is always a must do when I am riding in there area and I usually have to purchase two boxes, one for the rest of the ride and one for the kids for when I get home. Established in 1896 and still to this very day Goldenrod produces salt water taffy with the same excellence and tradition. http://www.thegoldenrod.com/

I recommend coming from the south in Kittery and taking Rte 103 to Rte 1

Enjoy The Ride ~

Wrench Pride

This past weekend I needed to do a very overdue valve adjustment, never doing a valve adjustment on this bike I recruited a friend to help and let my wife relax. I spent about 6 hours total breaking everything down, making the adjustments and putting everything back together only to realize I had the wrong specs. I started the bike and could really hear the valves, now I know on this bike hearing the valves is not a bad thing but this was excessive. I took the bike for a short ride and with every mile I knew it was not right, time to head home and wait another day to double check everything.

I pretty much tossed and turned all night so at first light I made a B-Line to the bike and started taking it apart, alone and taking my time. I pulled each piece making sure I had everything in order and ready to go back on smoothly after the adjustment; like I thought I was out of spec but this time I checked and double checked everything. So not to let my wife feel left out I called her to see what I was doing and then once again to help me guide the gas tank back on.

Finally the test… fire it up…. Sounded great and I think I had a smile from ear to ear. The engine was purring away just like a V Twin should.

I called my wife back out just to hear the difference and I think she was even impressed that I did this without frustration. A test ride was needed (not really but I needed to get out and there was a break in the rain). Since the bike needed this adjustment I really could see a difference in the horsepower and throttle response, pretty much all the valves were originally tight.

I could have never been more proud in a job well done and the sense of pride and accomplishment of turning my own wrench.